1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a procedure for setting up a secure service connection in a telecommunication system which may, for example, comprise the Internet and a wired telephone network or mobile wireless communication network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The global data network, i.e. the Internet, is based on an open structure that can be joined by practically anyone. Each device present or included in or connected to the network has a unique, individual name, referred to as an Internet name. The data link protocol used for communication over the Internet is TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), in which TCP corresponds to OSI (Open System Interconnection architecture) layer 4 and IP corresponds to OSI layer 3. OSI is a standard that defines the manner in which systems can be openly interconnected. In the OSI model, telecommunication software is divided into sections called layers. The basic principle of this model is that the functions of the layers have been defined but the manner of their implementation has been left open. For each layer, a specific interface has been defined, through which that layer communicates with the layers above and below it. The functions of a layer and those of the layers below it are called services.
A common problem restricting the use of the Internet is that the security of certain network layers consistent with the OSI model has not been standardized or otherwise defined. Therefore, a connection set up via the Internet between two computers or equivalent terminals is unprotected, which means that in principle anyone who is connected to the network can receive and read messages sent between the two computers. Correspondingly, anyone can send messages intended for someone else via a connection between two computers and thus disturb or otherwise impair the security and privacy of users. For example, the secure placing of orders and making of payments for services sold via the Internet is difficult. Likewise, reliable user identification and connection setup are difficult and require special arrangements.
In both wired telephone networks and mobile communication networks, advanced methods for encrypting a telecommunication connection, or at least the data transmitted over the connection, are commonly used. The encryption of radio communication can be regarded as providing a very high level of security, particularly in a mobile or wireless communication network such as a GSM network. Moreover, the GSM network standard allows the transmission of SMS or ESMS messages, so that the information to be encrypted can be enciphered into the message at the transmitting end and deciphered at the receiving end. Such an arrangement provides a very high level of data security. Patent specification WO 94/11849 discloses a mobile communication system in which the user of the system is authenticated locally, whereupon a secure connection is set up to a service provider or a telecommunication server. However, one problem in selling and offering services via a telephone-based network or a mobile communication network is that the service provider has no way to, for example, graphically present or represent the services or products being offered or sold. In addition, the use or ordering of services via a terminal in a telephone network or a mobile communication network, i.e. by wired or wireless telephone, is difficult.